A period dish

Maslin Bread

A hearty household loaf of mixed wheat and rye flour, dense and slightly sour.

Makes 1 loaves

Maslin was the everyday bread of ordinary people, baked from a mixture of wheat and rye or barley. It kept well, tasted faintly sour, and was eaten with pottage, cheese, and ale.

Ingredients

Pantry / Durable

  • 2 cup wheat flour
  • 2 cup rye flour

Spices & Seasoning

  • 1 tbsp salt

Other

  • 1 oz yeast
  • 1 1/2 cup water

Method

  1. Crumble the yeast into warm water and leave it until it bubbles.

  2. Mix the wheat and rye flours with salt, then add the yeast liquid and enough water to make a firm dough.

  3. Knead for ten minutes, then let the dough rise until doubled.

  4. Shape it into a round loaf and prove it again on a floured peel.

  5. Bake in a hot oven until the crust is dark and the loaf sounds hollow. Cool before cutting.

Served at

A lens grinder's table · Amsterdam, Netherlands

A letter on toleration · Amsterdam, Netherlands